


Just a Joke

by orphan_account



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fights, M/M, blame, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 06:18:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim didn’t let Richard touch Sebastian often, they weren’t supposed to act like a couple, though they flirted like they were which annoyed Jim to no end. Jim had tried to get them to stop by punishing them, but for some reasons there was something about the gentle words they shared that they thought was worth being punished over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just a Joke

Jim didn’t let Richard touch Sebastian often, they weren’t supposed to act like a couple, though they flirted like they were which annoyed Jim to no end. Jim had tried to get them to stop by punishing them, but for some reasons there was something about the gentle words they shared that they thought was worth being punished over.

Jim was absent from Richard’s head tonight. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he hadn’t gotten any warning, Jim had just gone. Really, Richard could only be happy about it, beforehand, after days of begging, Richard had been given permission to take Sebastian out. Well, Sebastian was the one taking Richard out but they were pretending it was the other way around since that was more comfortable for Jim.

Sebastian didn’t pick anywhere especially nice, but nowhere too trashy either. A casual, Italian restaurant. They say in the corner booth, sitting close on the round bench, Richard leaning against Sebastian’s chest and telling him about the work he was doing, a small role in a drama on telly. It wasn’t much, but it would get him going.

Sebastian listened and asked questions to keep Richard talking. Sebastian didn’t have anything to say, all the time he’d spent away from Richard was either shooting things or with Jim and they’d made a silent agreement not to talk about either of those things. It made Richard uncomfortable or sad and then Jim got jealous because he was the only one who should be able to do that to Richard and then Sebastian would get into trouble and nothing would be good.

When the food arrived Richard sat up, linking his right hand and Sebastian’s left together under the table. There were some advantages to being left handed sometimes, like the fact that he could practically sit on Sebastian’s lap while he ate.

They ate dinner in silence, Richard’s mouth being too full to say anything, Sebastian not prompting him anyway. They waited for the waitress to bring them the bill, Sebastian signing off a check and going to stand up, his eyes on the men who’d just walked in the door. He took Richard’s hand and led them out the back, following quietly. He knew that look on Sebastian’s face, he knew not to ask questions.

They emerged in a back alley, Sebastian’s head flipping almost frantically as he searched for an exit. He tugged Richard’s hand, making him lose balance, stumbling over his own feet.

The door behind them crashed open, three men running out, guns drawn, immediately pointed at Richard, he squeaked and tried not to start crying. Sebastian held up his hands in a surrender, taking half a step forward, to the shakiest of the three men.

“What do you want?” Sebastian demanded, voice low and dangerous. The man closest to him started shaking even more, Sebastian moving toward him, not enough for anyone to notice, but if he just moved another six inches then he’d be able to attack and wrestle the gun from him.

“Moriarty. To kill him,” the tallest man barked. American. Stupid, stupid American.

Sebastian took that moment to leap, the tallest man dropping his gun in surprise letting out a yelp and grabbing Richard by the collar, shoving him against the wall, slamming his head into brick. Richard did start crying then, his blood had gone cold, everything was fuzzy and swimming before his eyes.

Sebastian gunned down the two men, there were six bullets and he’d used three. He raised the gun to the man who was holding Richard. The man laughed and pulled a knife from his coat, holding it to Richard’s neck and turning them slowly so he was using Richard as a shield.

Sebastian’s grip on the gun tightened and he lifted it, aiming for the small part of the man’s forehead that was visible above Richard.

“S-sebby, please,” Richard squeaked, honestly afraid that Sebastian was going to shoot. He looked so terrifying and murderous, sometimes Richard trusted Sebastian only as much as he trusted Jim.

Sebastian took a step forward, the knife digging into Richard’s throat, making blood start to drip don his neck, his breathing irregular and forced, starting to sob.

“Drop it, Moriarty! Drop the act and face me like you really are, you cruel bastard,” the man behind Richard hissed. Richard just shook his head and sobbed.

Sebastian took the man’s distraction as opportunity, ignoring his job of ‘don’t hurt Richard’ and changing his priorities to ‘don’t get Richard killed’. He took the man by the shoulder and shoved him aside, Richard falling to the ground, Jim suddenly screaming in his head.

_WORTHLESS YOU’RE FUCKING USELESS YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING_

Sebastian wrestled with the man for not even a minute before he shouted and grabbed his arm, tugging the knife from the wound without even thinking and turning it around, slashing at the man’s leering face.

Richard had curled up against a wall, still feeling the attacker’s hands on his arm though he knew he was dead, Sebastian had stabbed the knife into his throat, the blade tearing through the flesh and there was so much blood and everything was too loud.

_HE’S HURT YOU FUCKING IDIOT GO HELP HIM_

Richard lifted his head and looked at Sebastian, who was stilling straddling the dead man’s body, clutching his bloody shoulder, panting and gasping from adrenaline and pain.

“S-sebastian?” Richard muttered, starting to crawl forward. Sebastian’s head flipped around and for a moment it looked like he was going to lash out at Richard, but then his eyes went soft and almost scared, though Richard wasn’t reassured much. “Wh-what do I d-do?”

_CALL A DOCTOR YOU WORTHLESS EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN_

“I’m fine,” Sebastian insisted, standing up and moving to lean against the wall next to Richard.

“Y-you’re bleeding,” Richard mumbled, turning back to face Sebastian, who was sliding down the wall, his eyes half closed, blood dripping out of his shirt which was nearly completely red.

This should have happened, Richard realized. No, this shouldn’t have, today was supposed to have been great and wonderful and calm and maybe Sebastian would have made love with Richard after this and there would be any rough touches and things would be gentle in sex for once but no. No, maybe Richard was meant to suffer.

Richard scrambled forward, pressing a hand to the stab wound, if they could make it stop bleeding, if they could call a doctor, then everything would be alright.

—-

There was Nothing. It was a sudden change, like being dropped suddenly and falling into place in the middle of infinity.

Jim was seething, grinding his teeth and balling his fists, moving forward and Richard felt tears in his eyes.

“This is your fault!” Jim was screaming, pushing Richard’s shoulders, making him stumble and fall back. “Your fucking fault! If you’d have done anything else… you should have let him kill you!”

Richard was sobbing now shaking his head, no, this wasn’t his fault, he didn’t mean to, it wasn’t his fault he had Jim Moriarty’s face, it wasn’t, shut up, SHUT UP.

“It was a joke you  _doofus_!” Jim yelled, tackling Richard and pushing him into the ground, fingernails digging into his forehead, scratching down his face. “You should have done something! You should have protected yourself! You’re fucking useless, you undesirable  _freak_.”

Richard was trying to struggle and get away, Jim was still scratching at his face, everything was spiraling down and out of control. this shouldn’t have happened, Bastian was hurt this should have happened, he was sorry, so sorry….

—-

Richard smelled blood and he couldn’t tell if it was his own or Sebastian’s. He was in the real world again, there was Something now, he could hear Sebastian and feel him, he had to go towards that.

“Richard, stop it, stop hurting yourself,” Sebastian was soothing, grunting as he shifted his position and moved to wrap his good arm around Richard. “I’m fine, this isn’t your fault.”

“It is!” Richard bit back. “It is, this is all my fault I’m sorry, I’m  _sorry_ …”

Sebastian kissed him then. “What just happened? Baby, slow down and talk to me.”

“I… What did happen?” Richard asked quietly, pressing hands to his forehead and looking at the blood on his fingers. He must look like a mess.

“You called one of Jim’s doctors then blacked out for a few seconds,” Sebastian explained. “When you woke up you were screaming.”

“J-Jim,” Richard explained, glad that he’d managed to call a doctor though he didn’t remember doing so. It might have been Jim.

“You feeling better?” Sebastian asked and Richard nodded, curling up on Sebastian’s stomach.

_I hired them. You were supposed to have done something, call for me and let me take over, anything._

“I don’t think he meant for you to get hurt,” Richard sighed, closing his eyes. An ambulance would be here any minute, they would take care of everything.

_You’re never going to amount to anything._

Richard swallowed and held back tears, listening to Sebastian’s shallow breathing as they waited.


End file.
